• by Danielle Oster , September 6, 2024

Flag football has officially arrived.

The NFL has made flag football a featured event in its Pro Bowl festivities over the past couple of years, and last year the International Olympic Committee approved the sport as an event at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Flag football is also the second-fastest growing high school sport, behind only girls’ wrestling. Now, in perhaps the ultimate sign of the sport’s arrival, it’s featured in a Gatorade campaign “You Know We Got 'IT'.”

Gatorade expanded its athlete roster ahead of the campaign, with the most notable addition being Diana Flores, the world champion female flag football quarterback and Mexico team captain.

Flores, who was already a Gatorade Women's Advisory Board member, becomes the first flag football player to join the Gatorade athlete roster. Alongside her, Gatorade also added established and emerging NFL talent to its roster: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.

The sports drink company’s new campaign features its new star athletes in a hero ad that opens with a locker room motivational speech from Jackson. And it's not the first time Flores has appeared in a major ad campaign. The NFL ambassador previously starred in a 2023 Super Bowl ad promoting flag football’s bid to become an Olympic sport.

The ad delivers the message “It fuels the best because it is the best,” before returning to Jackson sipping a bottle of orange Gatorade, and concluding with the “Is it in you?” tagline.

"This campaign is all about the idea that 'IT' is an internal mindset that drives you to be your best, which rings true for me," Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP said in a statement.

Gatorade’s campaign also includes a limited-edition branded apparel extension in partnership with fashion designer Kristin Juszczyk, known for unique gameday designs. The collaboration features two capsules – one that includes a custom duffle bag, Gatorade sideline towel and Gx bottle; and the other comprises a custom towel and bottle.

Both drops will be September 12, 10:00 a.m. ET. According to a release announcing the collaboration as “celebrating diversity in football,” Juszczyk’s designs also give a nod to flag football.

The campaign follows Gatorade reviving the “Is It In You?” tagline earlier this year with what Pepsi claims is the brand’s “largest campaign ever.” And this summer Gatorade committed to investing more than $600,000 to provide young athletes with greater access to sport, focusing on female flag football athletes.

The brand’s flag football investment includes a pledge to donate a portion of proceeds from sales of Gatorade items at Dick’s Sporting Goods, up to $500,000, to the Dick’s Foundation Sports Matter program, as well as grants to flag football organizations across the country, including Fierce Beauties and Arizona Youth Flag.